So you think they've come up with every possible means to promoting our programs through athletics communications? After all, we're Twittering, Facebooking, blogging, Covering it Live and much more.
I think there's another medium we're not taking advantage of that could spread the word about our programs and also potentially generate a new revenue stream.
Looking at the holiday issues of the Sports Business Journal, one of the main questions that was asked of major executives in the sporting industry was what they were hoping to receive for Christmas. An overwhelming number of executives mentioned that they were really looking forward to receiving a Kindle, the wireless reading device that can download books and subscription-based newspapers and magazines through WiFi or a non-wireless-based 3G network.
What a great invention - especially for frequent travelers like me who read quickly, but can't lug a sackful of books onto a plane (I have to carry too many pounds of media guides to worry about adding to my load with books to read for pleasure). Although, I do fear that this is getting us one step closer to doing away with printed books.
Scary stuff, considering that I love being able to read books and newspapers without having to be on my computer screen. I'm on a computer enough as it is and it's tiring to the eyes. I like hard copies and I don't want them to go anywhere. There's something soothing about looking through a book store. There's a certain aura and a certain smell that is sterilized by the Kindle and its brethren. My philosophy on all of the new inventions - I think they're tremendous, but I don't think any of them should replace the old methods, especially when it comes to the printed piece. But that's another story for another day.
Bottom line is, sports executives (and presumably sports fans, who often have at least some amount of disposable income) are using Kindles in their daily lives, but not getting the sports fix they could with regard to their favorite teams.
The sports world needs to reach out to the Kindle to promote its programs. More and more teams are relying on their own athletics communications office to serve as its news outlet. Essentially, teams are "breaking" their own news on their own Web sites. A lot of schools have hired bloggers and commentators, more news-reporter based than public-relations based, to to write for their own athletics Web sites.
Have your athletics communications department create subscription-based content, similar to ESPN.com's insider, that is directed solely at the Kindle. Maybe you have your free blog on your athletics department Web site with special "Insider" content to subscribers of the subscription-based Kindle component.
Here's another thought - many of you, like me, probably receive the Sporting News Today e-mails or view the online edition. It's essentially a national newspaper sports section that's completely online. Maybe you produce one of these daily for your athletics department. Your athletics communications directors are the beat writers. Essentially, it is a more "fluffy" re-write of their standard game recap or advance, your blogger is your columnist and your student assistants are your feature writers (great experience for them). This "newspaper" is produced completely by your athletics communications department for subscribers to receieve exclusively on their Kindles or similar devices.
Does your department produce its own monthly magazine? When I was at UCF, our athletics communications office, in conjunction with ISP Sports, produced KnightVision, a monthly subscription-based magazine that featured magazine-length writing, features, creative elements and much more directed at the fanbase. Put your monthly magazine on Kindle and offer a discount for this subscription, as compared to having a paper subscription (but never do away with the printed option). It makes sense, after all, it costs you less (both money + labor/time) to submit the copy electronically than to mail, meter and process the magazine.
Cover It Live fits perfectly with Kindle. Look at the orientation of the Kindle device and the orientation of the Cover It Live module. The shape and size is almost identical. Maybe you have a subscription-based way to access Cover It Live from your Kindle. Maybe you have premium chats. I.E. - Your chat with your tennis star is covered live for free on your Web site, but think of the revenue you could generate with a subscription-based live chat via Kindle with fans communicating with that Heisman-winning standout quarterback who is on ESPN on a daily basis.
Just because you're Twittering and Facebooking doesn't mean you're doing everything you can to promote your program. There's always something more that can be done.
Now, here's the clincher, though - we need to fight for these things to become a reality. The apathy in this profession needs to go away. We need to fight for these positions. Every athletics communications department needs at least one person whose entire job is devoted to social media/new media.
Let's be strategic about this - telling your athletics director that you need this position isn't often going to get you very far. Remember what I have been emphasizing - make this a science, make it strategic. Do your research using PRSA and other outlets - come up with a well-researched strategic plan for why these positions need to be created and how they can contribute to your bottom line. Maybe it doesn't change anything, especially if the money's just not there, but maybe it does.
Continue to promote your champions like a champion. There are always new and innovative ways out there, this is just an example of one untapped resource for athletics communications promotion.
Showing posts with label communications. Show all posts
Showing posts with label communications. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Five Success Tips for Communications Student Assistants
If you're a student assistant in your athletics communications office and you're reading this blog, first of all, welcome. I hope that the things here on the blog have been helpful to you so far. This morning's post is completely directed towards you.
Let's face it - there are a lot of people out there who want to enter this profession. Some people want to enter the field because they're huge sports fanatics, but have no knowledge of the business of sports. Some people (of either gender) want to enter this field because they are so-called "jersey chasers." Some people want to enter this field because they think it will make them a celebrity or they will be able to mingle with celebrities.
How do you differentiate yourself from these people to best position yourself for experience and future jobs? And, I'm not saying this is what everyone wants. If you're volunteering in your school's athletics communications office just because it's something cool to do but you don't have any interest in pursuing it as a career, that's fine. I have nothing against those people. That's what college is for - finding out what you like and what you don't. I'm sure your athletics communications office greatly appreciates the time and effort you are able to provide, and the enthusiasm you bring to their operation.
But what if this is what you want to do for a career? Here's my advice - take it for what it's worth. It may not work for you. But I think many of these principles can transcend departments, schools and people - they're universal.
1.) Treat your position (whether it be paid or unpaid) with your athletics communications office like your full-time job. You've heard of the saying "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have." Let's adapt that - and it's even more true in this case "Work like you have the job to which you aspire." I'm not saying to have the EGO that you have an administrative position (definitely not), what I'm saying is to make your DEDICATION to the job equivalent to that of the top person in a job to which you one day aspire. In actuality, that may not be your own supervisor. Identify people across the country in the job to which you aspire that you can look up to.
How do you do this best? Be the person who is there in a time of need. Most students can't be found over Thanksgiving holidays or Christmas holidays. All athletics communications directors are scrambling for workers during events over the holidays. If you're there and none of your peers are, you're going to get something meaningful to do and have your opportunity to shine. You make your own luck happen. Give yourself these opportunities.
Spend most of your time in the office. It's my experience that a student who works on a schedule gets assigned less tasks and given less responsibility. For me, now as a full-time athletics communications professional, it's more work for me to make sure there is something to do for a student who shows up every Monday and Wednesday at 11 a.m. Fact is, students get assigned better jobs when they just happen to be sitting around and get assigned something when the SID is in need. For example, my freshman year I got better assignments while hanging in the office after 6 p.m. then I did during the traditional work-day. This goes back to dedication.
Make your own assignments. See something that could be done better? See something that other schools are doing that your school isn't? Do it and then present it to your supervisor or specific sport contact. They are less likely to say no to a completed project than they are to a suggestion without a finished product. Suggestions are much easier to give up than are concrete completed projects.
Ask your boss if you can attend the athletics communications weekly staff meetings. Maybe you're not sure you have something to contribute, but you can learn a lot (good ideas and bad) from what you hear in those meetings. Beginning with the summer before my junior year of college, I began scheduling my classes around that weekly meeting to make sure I was always able to attend and contribute.
2.) Never ask "Am I good?": If you are a student helping with an athletics event, never leave before the primary contact for that sport leaves. Always ask "What else can I do" and if there is nothing, just hang around until they are done working. It's always nice to have company and it's always nice to have a helping hand there if the primary contact thinks of something they could use assistance with. If all the work from the game is done, but the primary contact is staying around to update his/her notes for the next game, ask "What section do you want me to take?" or "What can I help you update?" If you ask "Am I good," odds are, the athletics communications director is likely going to release you because they don't want to hear you complain about having to be there. Just hang around and show your dedication.
3.) Always Work the "Lesser" Event: Most students, and some full-time staffers, tend to rank events. I'm definitely not saying this is right - every event your athletics department holds is a major event and should be treated as such without rank. But, for the purpose of example, if your school has a conference football game and a women's golf tournament going on at the same time, many are going to view the "women's golf tournament" as a lesser event. Where should you be as a standout student assistant? At the women's golf tournament. You are more valuable to that golf contact who likely has no help and that will reflect your dedication to being a "team player." And, if there's time when golf is over to go help at football, head that way. But don't rush to leave the golf tournament. Always work the so-called "lesser" event if it doesn't conflict with sports that you are either the primary or secondary contact for.
4.) Get to Know Opposing SIDs: At every event, whether it's football, volleyball or tennis, always make it a point to introduce yourself to the visiting SID before the event. This is a great way to make contacts and, as I've found over the years, a great way to make friends. Plus, people are most likely to hire the people they know, rather than people they don't know.
5.) Be Willing To Carry The Heavy Box: This was something I was terrible at when I first started as a freshman. Back then, I thought (completely wrong) if I was writing press releases and coordinating interviews, something most of the other students weren't doing, then why should I have to carry the heavy box? Isn't there someone else that has more time do this? I was completely wrong and am still somewhat embarrased about my behavior in those early days.
Here's why you need to carry the heavy box. First of all, the box needs to be carried. Someone has to carry it ... why not you? Second, it's good practice for your leadership skills. Employees dislike a leader who assigns tasks that he/she is not willing to perform him/herself. They are more willing to carry a box you ask them to if they have seen you do that task previously. Additionally, employees (or your fellow students) aren't going to respect you if you bark orders to carry a box and then walk to the arena with nothing more in your hands than your briefcase. Carry the heavy box.
---
Most importantly, always be humble about it. Your goals aren't necessarily the same as those of your peers. That's fine (a lesson I also had to learn). I guarantee you all of your fellow student assistants are just as driven as you - athletics communications may be there hobby, while it's your career path. Maybe they want to become the next great lawyer or professor or museum curator. That's great. Encourage them to pursue their goals, even if they're not the same as yours. I promise you this, your fellow students in the athletics communications office are going to end up being your best friends for life. Don't miss out on that opportunity.
Always be willing to ask for advice or mentoring from professionals in the field. I'm always willing to help, so feel free to send me a note. Best of luck in your career pursuits.
Let's face it - there are a lot of people out there who want to enter this profession. Some people want to enter the field because they're huge sports fanatics, but have no knowledge of the business of sports. Some people (of either gender) want to enter this field because they are so-called "jersey chasers." Some people want to enter this field because they think it will make them a celebrity or they will be able to mingle with celebrities.
How do you differentiate yourself from these people to best position yourself for experience and future jobs? And, I'm not saying this is what everyone wants. If you're volunteering in your school's athletics communications office just because it's something cool to do but you don't have any interest in pursuing it as a career, that's fine. I have nothing against those people. That's what college is for - finding out what you like and what you don't. I'm sure your athletics communications office greatly appreciates the time and effort you are able to provide, and the enthusiasm you bring to their operation.
But what if this is what you want to do for a career? Here's my advice - take it for what it's worth. It may not work for you. But I think many of these principles can transcend departments, schools and people - they're universal.
1.) Treat your position (whether it be paid or unpaid) with your athletics communications office like your full-time job. You've heard of the saying "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have." Let's adapt that - and it's even more true in this case "Work like you have the job to which you aspire." I'm not saying to have the EGO that you have an administrative position (definitely not), what I'm saying is to make your DEDICATION to the job equivalent to that of the top person in a job to which you one day aspire. In actuality, that may not be your own supervisor. Identify people across the country in the job to which you aspire that you can look up to.
How do you do this best? Be the person who is there in a time of need. Most students can't be found over Thanksgiving holidays or Christmas holidays. All athletics communications directors are scrambling for workers during events over the holidays. If you're there and none of your peers are, you're going to get something meaningful to do and have your opportunity to shine. You make your own luck happen. Give yourself these opportunities.
Spend most of your time in the office. It's my experience that a student who works on a schedule gets assigned less tasks and given less responsibility. For me, now as a full-time athletics communications professional, it's more work for me to make sure there is something to do for a student who shows up every Monday and Wednesday at 11 a.m. Fact is, students get assigned better jobs when they just happen to be sitting around and get assigned something when the SID is in need. For example, my freshman year I got better assignments while hanging in the office after 6 p.m. then I did during the traditional work-day. This goes back to dedication.
Make your own assignments. See something that could be done better? See something that other schools are doing that your school isn't? Do it and then present it to your supervisor or specific sport contact. They are less likely to say no to a completed project than they are to a suggestion without a finished product. Suggestions are much easier to give up than are concrete completed projects.
Ask your boss if you can attend the athletics communications weekly staff meetings. Maybe you're not sure you have something to contribute, but you can learn a lot (good ideas and bad) from what you hear in those meetings. Beginning with the summer before my junior year of college, I began scheduling my classes around that weekly meeting to make sure I was always able to attend and contribute.
2.) Never ask "Am I good?": If you are a student helping with an athletics event, never leave before the primary contact for that sport leaves. Always ask "What else can I do" and if there is nothing, just hang around until they are done working. It's always nice to have company and it's always nice to have a helping hand there if the primary contact thinks of something they could use assistance with. If all the work from the game is done, but the primary contact is staying around to update his/her notes for the next game, ask "What section do you want me to take?" or "What can I help you update?" If you ask "Am I good," odds are, the athletics communications director is likely going to release you because they don't want to hear you complain about having to be there. Just hang around and show your dedication.
3.) Always Work the "Lesser" Event: Most students, and some full-time staffers, tend to rank events. I'm definitely not saying this is right - every event your athletics department holds is a major event and should be treated as such without rank. But, for the purpose of example, if your school has a conference football game and a women's golf tournament going on at the same time, many are going to view the "women's golf tournament" as a lesser event. Where should you be as a standout student assistant? At the women's golf tournament. You are more valuable to that golf contact who likely has no help and that will reflect your dedication to being a "team player." And, if there's time when golf is over to go help at football, head that way. But don't rush to leave the golf tournament. Always work the so-called "lesser" event if it doesn't conflict with sports that you are either the primary or secondary contact for.
4.) Get to Know Opposing SIDs: At every event, whether it's football, volleyball or tennis, always make it a point to introduce yourself to the visiting SID before the event. This is a great way to make contacts and, as I've found over the years, a great way to make friends. Plus, people are most likely to hire the people they know, rather than people they don't know.
5.) Be Willing To Carry The Heavy Box: This was something I was terrible at when I first started as a freshman. Back then, I thought (completely wrong) if I was writing press releases and coordinating interviews, something most of the other students weren't doing, then why should I have to carry the heavy box? Isn't there someone else that has more time do this? I was completely wrong and am still somewhat embarrased about my behavior in those early days.
Here's why you need to carry the heavy box. First of all, the box needs to be carried. Someone has to carry it ... why not you? Second, it's good practice for your leadership skills. Employees dislike a leader who assigns tasks that he/she is not willing to perform him/herself. They are more willing to carry a box you ask them to if they have seen you do that task previously. Additionally, employees (or your fellow students) aren't going to respect you if you bark orders to carry a box and then walk to the arena with nothing more in your hands than your briefcase. Carry the heavy box.
---
Most importantly, always be humble about it. Your goals aren't necessarily the same as those of your peers. That's fine (a lesson I also had to learn). I guarantee you all of your fellow student assistants are just as driven as you - athletics communications may be there hobby, while it's your career path. Maybe they want to become the next great lawyer or professor or museum curator. That's great. Encourage them to pursue their goals, even if they're not the same as yours. I promise you this, your fellow students in the athletics communications office are going to end up being your best friends for life. Don't miss out on that opportunity.
Always be willing to ask for advice or mentoring from professionals in the field. I'm always willing to help, so feel free to send me a note. Best of luck in your career pursuits.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Change to Communications Much More Than Name Change
I have to admit that when the trend started a few years ago to change the name of sports information to communications, I didn't quite understand it. At the time to me, the term "communications" seemed to more characterize someone who worked with telephones rather than public relations.
(On a side note, I'm very fortunate at Florida because I work with one of the best phone communications specialists out there. He was hired at about the same time as I was and he's really great because - ironically enough - he's a great communicator. He really understands the people he works with, what their cell phone needs are and operates in a really practical manner with regard to his job. Plus, he's extremely helpful and always willing to go the extra mile.)
Over the past couple of years, I've really come to embrace the communications title. By definition, communication is "the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs." That's what we as SIDs do. We advise our head coaches, student-athletes and administration in the realm of public relations, we work well with members of the media and use our communications skills to serve as a mediator between all kinds of different parties. On a daily basis, we coordinate an interview time that works with a student-athlete's practice and class schedule, the reporter and ourselves. We do this, generally seamlessly, without even giving it much thought. We are master communicators in doing this and we just regard it as a routine task.
I have to admit, I kind of like the acronym SID. People know what it means, it's easy to say and it covers all of the people in our profession whether their department calls it sports information, media relations, public affairs, public relations, external affairs or communications. We know what it means, and we've been using this term since practically the start of our profession. (Actually, one of the early terms often used in the 1950s and 1960s was sports publicity director.)
Why is the "sports information" label bad for us at times? I think when the people you report to (your administrators and coaches) think "sports information," they think of a person who provides "information about sports." Well, of course, you might be saying. That's common sense. But, we do much more than that. While providing "information about sports" is an important part of our jobs, that's not all we do. A person who provides "information about sports" goes to games, does the stats, sits in their office and pours through research, is a sports fanatic and then goes home. While we do, actually, do all of those things (and enjoy them), I don't think those should be our defining traits. It would be like calling an athletic trainer an "ankle taper." Sure, that's generally what you see, but it takes a highly trained professional who has keen medical insight and a knowledge of preventative care to be an athletic trainer.
One of the common definitions of public relations is "the management function that builds and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on whom its success or failure depends." I almost completely agree with one caveat.
I strongly dislike the terms "management" or "manager." Why? Management and managers are one-way streets. Management is a hierarchal classification that dictates to non-management what tasks they are to perform, how they are to inform them and in what amount of time they have to complete them. Managers manage their employees. A tyrant (defined: "an absolute ruler") could qualify as a manager. There is no two-way street. You are being managed. There is someone in a position of power and someone who is not. No debating that.
"Leadership" and "leaders" are much, much better words. A leader empowers his or her employees to do their best and exceed the job expectations. Leadership is people-based, not results-based. Sure, someone has to oversee an operation and, ultimately mentor junior (in experience) employees. But it needs to be a two-way street and the leader needs to empower his/her employees, not supress them.
With that, here's why it's important for us to be known as communications professionals. We, as athletics communicators, practice the leadership function that builds and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an athletics department and its key publics, serving as internal public relations advisors to top administration. That's my definition.
If you're an effective athletics commmunications professional, you read and anticipate trends, issues and questions that will affect the positive public image of your organization and advise that athletics department's leadership how best to handle that situation from a communications standpoint.
That's why I was so pleased to hear of CoSIDA's new rebranding campaign. "Strategic Communicators for College Athletics." That's what we are and that's why the switch to communications is beneficial for all involved.
Again, in my definition, athletics communications is the leadership function that builds and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an athletics department and its key publics, serving as internal public relations advisors to top administration.
(On a side note, I'm very fortunate at Florida because I work with one of the best phone communications specialists out there. He was hired at about the same time as I was and he's really great because - ironically enough - he's a great communicator. He really understands the people he works with, what their cell phone needs are and operates in a really practical manner with regard to his job. Plus, he's extremely helpful and always willing to go the extra mile.)
Over the past couple of years, I've really come to embrace the communications title. By definition, communication is "the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs." That's what we as SIDs do. We advise our head coaches, student-athletes and administration in the realm of public relations, we work well with members of the media and use our communications skills to serve as a mediator between all kinds of different parties. On a daily basis, we coordinate an interview time that works with a student-athlete's practice and class schedule, the reporter and ourselves. We do this, generally seamlessly, without even giving it much thought. We are master communicators in doing this and we just regard it as a routine task.
I have to admit, I kind of like the acronym SID. People know what it means, it's easy to say and it covers all of the people in our profession whether their department calls it sports information, media relations, public affairs, public relations, external affairs or communications. We know what it means, and we've been using this term since practically the start of our profession. (Actually, one of the early terms often used in the 1950s and 1960s was sports publicity director.)
Why is the "sports information" label bad for us at times? I think when the people you report to (your administrators and coaches) think "sports information," they think of a person who provides "information about sports." Well, of course, you might be saying. That's common sense. But, we do much more than that. While providing "information about sports" is an important part of our jobs, that's not all we do. A person who provides "information about sports" goes to games, does the stats, sits in their office and pours through research, is a sports fanatic and then goes home. While we do, actually, do all of those things (and enjoy them), I don't think those should be our defining traits. It would be like calling an athletic trainer an "ankle taper." Sure, that's generally what you see, but it takes a highly trained professional who has keen medical insight and a knowledge of preventative care to be an athletic trainer.
One of the common definitions of public relations is "the management function that builds and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on whom its success or failure depends." I almost completely agree with one caveat.
I strongly dislike the terms "management" or "manager." Why? Management and managers are one-way streets. Management is a hierarchal classification that dictates to non-management what tasks they are to perform, how they are to inform them and in what amount of time they have to complete them. Managers manage their employees. A tyrant (defined: "an absolute ruler") could qualify as a manager. There is no two-way street. You are being managed. There is someone in a position of power and someone who is not. No debating that.
"Leadership" and "leaders" are much, much better words. A leader empowers his or her employees to do their best and exceed the job expectations. Leadership is people-based, not results-based. Sure, someone has to oversee an operation and, ultimately mentor junior (in experience) employees. But it needs to be a two-way street and the leader needs to empower his/her employees, not supress them.
With that, here's why it's important for us to be known as communications professionals. We, as athletics communicators, practice the leadership function that builds and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an athletics department and its key publics, serving as internal public relations advisors to top administration. That's my definition.
If you're an effective athletics commmunications professional, you read and anticipate trends, issues and questions that will affect the positive public image of your organization and advise that athletics department's leadership how best to handle that situation from a communications standpoint.
That's why I was so pleased to hear of CoSIDA's new rebranding campaign. "Strategic Communicators for College Athletics." That's what we are and that's why the switch to communications is beneficial for all involved.
Again, in my definition, athletics communications is the leadership function that builds and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an athletics department and its key publics, serving as internal public relations advisors to top administration.
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